


Scar Safe

by blueticked



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Minor Violence, Vex Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:33:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueticked/pseuds/blueticked
Summary: Scar misses the Vexes. He decides to seek them out.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 86





	Scar Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Clearly inspired by Scar licking the diamond pile during builder bros' Town Hall collab (what a freaking amazing build).

Licking Vex magic was like biting into fizzy candy that sizzled against your tongue before popping with a spark of energy. 

The blandness of diamonds was disgusting. It tasted like dirt and gravel. The crystal shards just felt sharp against his tongue; it was nothing compared to the crackling taste of Vex magic.

Scar missed Vex magic. He missed the Vexes.

When they came into the new world, he and Cub had agreed that they had previously relied on Vex magic far too much. Their successes with Concorp felt very much like the success of the Vexes, and not of their own. They wanted to pursue different forms of magic, harness their own magical core without depending on existing magic.

Scar donned a wizard's outfit and pursued the magic of the crystals. Cub turned to the magic of the earth and sky and called himself a pharaoh. 

Two months into their new world and Scar was beginning to feel restless. The crystals had not been a worthy replacement. Despite Scar following every possible method of bringing them to their fullest magical potential, the crystals' magic remained inconsistent and unreliable. He had set up the biggest crystal in the middle of his magical village. He had redirected the energy of the crystals so they would all positively affect and enhance each other. He even gave some crystals to his neighbours, Grian and Mumbo, who would help to expand the influence of crystal magic in the jungle.

Nothing. The crystals barely responded to his touch. He couldn't even cast a simple protection spell to keep his villagers safe in their farms. The villagers' last cries for help devastated Scar. He had a crystal clenched tightly in his hand, redirecting energy and magic towards them that didn't take effect, tears spilling from the corner of his eyes as his villagers succumbed to mobs in front of him.

That was the last straw. That was the last of Scar's patience with the crystals.

Cub had said that Scar couldn't draw magic from the crystals because he was still drawn to the Vexes. It was true. Scar heard the Vexes whispering to him in the howling of the wind. Whenever he strained to listen, the wind would fall silent. Scar felt the presence of the Vexes whenever he had the thought that he was alone. They would be there, beside him, but when he turned to look, another Hermit would be in their place - sent by the Vexes to keep him company, Scar was certain.

Cub said that Scar would have to completely let go of his connection with the Vexes in order for the magic crystals to be effective. Maybe that was it, because Cub was finding success with pharaoh magic. He had been able to move on from Vex magic and found a new path in a new world.

But Cub never had the same kind of connection to the Vexes that Scar had. He had never treated the Vexes as friends, never casually spoken to the Vexes in daily life beyond Convex and Concorp business. He had never tapped into the mildest forms of Vex magic just for fun, just for small little tricks like levitation or speed or conjuring that one more block he missed to complete a build. He had never felt the urge to lick Vex magic, just give it a little taste, and found the thrill of magical energy popping against his tongue while the Vexes giggled at his silly antics.

Scar didn't just lose the Vexes. He didn't just feel the loss of their magic. He had lost his _friends_.

He wanted his friends back. That was all the realisation he needed, all the convincing it took. Scar wanted to bring his friends back into his life. If the Vexes wouldn't come to him, there was only one way to go to them.

The next day, Scar put on his best armour and weapons and set out for Impulse's pillager outpost.

He had never been much of a physical fighter. Scar dodged and weaved the relentless arrows that came his way as he approached the outpost, but he couldn't avoid all of them. Arrows bounced off his diamond armour, the force of it knocking him back and toppling onto the ground. Sometimes the armour wasn't enough, and an arrow tore itself into the flesh of his limbs. Time and time again, Scar gritted his teeth and stood back up, continuing the fight. He startled himself with the amount of violence he was capable of, driven by endless adrenaline. He ignored the pain of arrows slicing against his flesh, leaving them to dull and numb as he pushed forward. His diamond armour was chipped and battered by the time he snatched the banner from the outpost captain, and fought all the way back to the portal.

Scar was exhausted. He had never fought so hard in his life; had never wanted something so desperately. His one day of exhaustion was nothing compared to their months of restlessness, of sleepless nights. He had to find the Vexes. He needed to find the Vexes.

Mumbo had a village near the jungle, where all the villagers were safely enclosed. They would be at no risk if Scar started a raid in their village. The village was near his own base, but Scar forgot to stop by for new armour and weapons, or even for more food and a few health potions. He had only one thing on his mind, and that was to meet the Vexes.

Scar placed the banner down at the entrance of the village and rung the bell, signalling to the raiders that he was prepared and ready to begin.

The evokers wouldn't emerge till a few rounds into the raid. The first couple rounds were not particularly tough. After having fought the pillager outpost, Scar knew what to expect from their enchanted crossbows. The vindicators' speed took him by surprise. Their axes hacked against his chest, sliced into his shoulder. Scar's blood splattered back at them as he swung his sword and drove it deep into their chests.

Scar's diamond chestplate broke in the second wave. Nothing protected him from the onslaught of attacks now. The raiders were unforgiving, arrows and axes battering him all over, fresh pain flaring up every second. Scar tried to keep up with his diamond sword, but for every enemy he thrust his sword at, another two took advantage of his vulnerable position to swing their weapons at him. Scar didn't know how he survived the second wave. He was feeling faint by the end of it. His feet were heavy. His vision had dimmed.

The ravagers came on the third wave. Scar summoned all his energy to hoist himself up onto the roof, where he could shoot arrows at the ravager without being attacked. It worked for a while, he had a short breather, until he ran out of arrows and the pillagers' arrows knocked him off the roof.

The ravager smashed headfirst into him and he was tossed across the village, limp as a ragdoll. Before he could draw enough energy to stand, the ravager hurled itself at him and smashed him deeper into the ground. With a trembling grip that needed support from his other hand, Scar raised his chipped-away sword at the wild beast, and everytime it stomped on Scar, it would hurt itself. He just had to wait for it to kill itself, or stomp him to death. This was a battle of survival now, not skills.

Scar survived longer, just barely. When the ravager exploded into pieces of meat and a saddle, the pillagers and the vindicators came straight for him. Blocked by the ravager, they hadn't had their taste of blood, their share of the fight. Scar threw some dirt over his head and blocked himself into the hole in the ground.

He began to sob, but even crying was painful. He had enough. Was all this pain worth finding the Vexes? Was all this torture - not just physically, but on his mind as well - was it worth summoning the Vexes? Why hadn't he been content with the crystals? Why hadn't he been content with no magic at all?

Could he just bail right now? Dig a road all the way home? Leave the rest of the raid for someone else to handle?

No, he couldn't.

Scar broke the dirt over his head. Immediately, an axe came chopping down on him, slicing against his cheek like he was meat on a cutting board. Scar winced, twisting to the side and freeing himself, lifting his diamond sword through the hole and stabbing the vindicator.

He took on the rest of the third round like that, one enemy at a time, one blow at a time. His diamond sword shattered as it served him for the last time, tearing through the chest of the last pillager that approached him.

Scar pulled himself out of the ground as the fourth round began. He had no armour, no weapons. He was drained, physically and mentally. He didn't know if he would ever realistically recover from this experience. If the Vexes did not emerge, he would accept his defeat. He would return home and burn his wizard robes. He would never speak of magic again.

Maybe he was rambling, but it was all he could do to keep his mind running, keep his blood pumping. Scar couldn't take another moment of this pain.

He stood in the middle of the village and waited, completely exposed, defenseless. He met the eye of the first vindicator that approached. It ran towards him, axe high in the air. Behind the vindicator came more pillagers and ravagers. The ravagers easily overtook the rest, charging towards Scar.

Finally, at the very end, an evoker entered the village, raising his arms to summon upon the Vex.

Scar collapsed to his knees and closed his eyes. He could hear the ravagers' hooves cantering against the ground as it raced towards him. He could also hear the Vexes' pop of magic as they came into existence. He braced for the impact of the ravager that never came.

Scar opened his eyes and looked up.

The Vexes were protecting him. He was enclosed in a sphere of Vex magic, the little creatures tittering as they flew around him. He could see nothing beyond the blue mist, making everything seem like nothing but a dream.

 _Scar_ , the Vexes spoke, calling his name one after another, echoing all around him. They giggled, high-pitched and sharp. _Scar._

Scar opened his mouth to speak, but the mist swirled around him and became more opaque, solidifying into a human hand, cold to the touch. It rested against his chin, gently nudging his mouth closed. It covered his eyes and moved downwards, signaling for him to close his eyes.

Scar complied.

The solidifying mist took him beneath his arm, pulling him upwards and off his knees. He stood, trembling but supported by the magic hand. Once he was steady, the hand ran down his arm, making Scar shiver slightly with the chill of its touch. It moved on to his other arm, running along the length of it. Then the magic hand pressed against his chest, and the cold magic numbed away the pain of his injuries. It sealed shut gaping wounds. It gave him strength and urged his broken heart to pump more rhythmically.

 _Scar!_ The Vexes continued to sing around him. _Scar!_

Scar had his eyes squeezed closed, but it was harder to keep his mouth shut. He wanted to respond. He wanted to call their name. He wanted to thank them. He wanted to-

The magic hand pressed a finger against his lips pre-emptively, as if it knew. Scar forced himself to follow instructions, to be patient, to listen. Eyes closed, mouth closed. The magic hand moved up to ruffle his hair fondly, as though it was praising him, then dissipated back into the mist.

Scar inhaled deeply, waiting for whatever was next to come.

 _Scar!_ The Vexes kept repeating his name. They surrounded him much more closely now, high voices next to his ear, so close they were almost speaking in his mind. _Scar!_

It took Scar a good moment before he realised that _they were in his mind._

 _"Scar!"_ the Vexes said in his head, pleased, and their presence filled his soul.

Magical energy flowed through his veins, filled with power, waiting to be released. Blue sparks of Vex magic escaped his fingertips, some emerging like fairy dust, others more electric, arching lines between his fingers. Vex voices filled his head, chittering and chattering in conversations indistinguishable from each other, their presence simply comforting to him. Scar tried to identify the words they were speaking but it was hard to think with the magic mist hazing his mind, blocking his thoughts, making it difficult to focus. There was only one thing the Vexes made crystal clear to him.

He was one of them again. They had welcomed him back into their ranks, established their magical connection, granted him access to Vex magic. In exchange, he would be obligated to be their physical body, act on their command.

 _"Yes,"_ Scar breathed out in agreement to their contract, noting the way his voice emerged higher than usual, an effect of breathing in too much Vex magic. He knew how it was like to be a Convex; they wouldn't ask for much more than tricks and pranks. Vexes were mischievous, but not many realised that they were also giving. Scar was always supposed to benefit from their magic more than they asked to control his body.

Scar's agreement sealed the deal. The Vexes, delighted to have him back, raised their voices in his head. The high-pitched sound was starting to overwhelm him, the screeching too much and too intense for him to handle all at once. Scar raised his hands to his ears, his grin turning into a painful grimace. This was hurting him more than the physical battle he had fought to get here.

"Stop," Scar gasped, but the chatter only increased with the hum of magic. He was growing faint again. They knew it was hurting him. Was this intentional? Were the Vexes intentionally driving him out of his own mind?

His vision was flickering, growing white spots appearing in the blue mist. Were they trying to knock him out? It took Scar a moment to realise that it hurt because he was fighting against it. Once he did, he almost laughed at himself. This was the Vexes' first request. This was what the Vexes willed for. It will be what the Vexes receive.

Scar gave himself to the white noise and it stopped hurting.

Scar woke up in his bed, in his base, with nothing on him. He felt more well-rested than he had been in a long time.

Had he died from the raid?

Had it all been a dream?

Scar sat up and concentrated on the silence of the jungle, searching for the Vexes' presence. Nothing. He could sense nothing. He looked down at his hands and tried to feel Vex magic in his veins, tried to conjure the blue sparks at his fingertips.

Nothing.

Scar looked up at his ceiling as someone landed hard on Larry's shell above him, then fell on his doorstep and burst through the door.

"Dude!" Cub yelled, throwing a Vexian banner at Scar. The banner fluttered onto the floor, at the foot of his bed. "Was this you?!"

"What happened?" Scar asked, looking down at the Vexian banner, the face of the Vex in mid-laughter.

"You know the crystals you gave me at the start of the season? They grew. They broke through the walls of my pyramid and stretched towards the sky, like multi-coloured crystalised vines. This flag was next to it. Was it you? Did you get in touch with the Vexes? Was their first prank on _me_?"

"I don't know," Scar admitted. "I thought I reached out to them, but-" Scar gestured around him. "Do you feel any Vex magic? Any magic at all?"

"...No," Cub admitted after a moment. "But who would it be?"

"I don't know," Scar shrugged.

Cub sighed, exasperated. "I'm burying those crystals," He muttered, then employed a rocket and flew away.

The new Vex mask sitting atop an armour stand next to Scar's door grinned at Scar when Cub completely missed its presence. Scar grinned back.

The Vexes peeked out from under the bed and tittered, soaring around the room in delight. Magic started to warm Scar's veins again, spreading throughout his body, tickling his fingers. The magic village came to life as it never had before, Vex magic threading through Scar's trees and houses and animal villagers.

Scar picked up the Vexian banner and set it straight, hanging on the wall next to his Vex mask. He popped a finger in his mouth, almost instinctively, and licked the tip of his finger.

Vex magic cackled against his tongue, sending a thrill down his spine, making Scar burst into a little giggle himself.

Vex magic was real.

Vex magic was back.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought?


End file.
